it's a downward spiral that just won't stop
by Wez in Wonderland
Summary: It's by some stroke of luck that Sebastian isn't the only one single Warbler at Dalton's week-after-Valentine's Day dance. But unfortunately for him, Hunter isn't one of them. He gets Jeff and Thad instead. With nothing else to do but sulk and drink his own body weight in tequila, it'll be a miracle if Sebastian makes it out alive.


**Prompt – **"Can you do Jeff and Sebastian are the only single Warblers, so [they] spend Valentine's Day getting drunk?"

**Notes – **HA! Finally finished it. I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out; I mean, it's still pretty bad, but hey! It's _a lot_ better than the original drafts. I hope you like it, anon. The other prompts will be out soon, I promise.

**Warnings **– Underage drinking, language, and the gratuitous butchering of the Spanish language. Also, Thad. My Thad should come with a disclaimer of his own.

* * *

**it's a downward spiral that just won't stop**

wez in wonderland

* * *

"Uh, Sebastian?" says Jeff as his friend knocks back another shot. "Don't you think you should take it easy on the tequila? I mean, the party's just started…maybe you should slow down?"

"I don't see why it matters." Sebastian sets the glass on the counter with a soft clink. "It's not like I have a date or anything." His gaze falls on Hunter and his date, a pretty brunette. "This dance is stupid; Valentine's Day was a week ago."

Jeff resists the urge to roll his eyes; Sebastian's been like this all week. He's been moody and irritable, and in just enough denial to be obnoxious. Ever since Hunter started dating Kylie, he's been almost unbearable to be around. Not that Jeff has any room to talk; he's hardly Mr. Sunshine and Daisies himself.

"- oh, I love this song!" squeals the shrill voice of Lynette Gregory, captain of the Crawford Day soccer team and boyfriend-stealer extraordinaire. "Come on, Nick! Let's dance!"

"Alright, alright!" Jealousy flares up in Jeff's chest as he watches Lynette lead Nick to the middle of the room. "I'm coming! No need to tear my arm off, Lynn!"

Jeff forces himself to look away, lest he does something stupid. The last thing he needs is for Nick to think that he's jealous because he's not. Well, maybe a little jealous, but the point still stands.

"Hey Thad!" Sebastian's saying when Jeff turns back around, waving down the upperclassman. "Get your ass over here, man. Oh, and bring some booze with you."

Thad is the last person Jeff wants to see right now. It was his idea to have a Valentine's Day party after all. If he hadn't decided to have the damn thing, none of this would have happened. Nick would not have asked Lynette out, and Jeff would've been considerably less miserable than he was four hours ago (which wasn't much a difference, but the point still stands).

"What's up, _mis compadres_?" Thad greets as he waltzes up to the makeshift bar, a six-pack in hand. "No offense, but you guys look like shit."

"Thanks Thad," Sebastian drawls sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "You _really_ know how to make a guy feel special." He reaches over and grabs a beer.

Being the only Warbler old enough to buy alcohol (besides David who wouldn't do it anyway because he's a cheapskate and a prude), Thad's also the one responsible for providing the booze whenever they have parties like this one. He prides himself in his extensive knowledge of the "wonderful, wonderful world of alcomohol" and has quite the reputation.

"Someone's in a bad mood tonight," Thad comments, raising a brow. He slides into the seat next to Sebastian. "What's wrong, _mi cariño_?"

"Well, for one thing, your butchering of the Spanish language," Sebastian deadpans. "Just because you have a A in the class doesn't mean you're good at it."

"You wound me, dearest Sebastian." He dramatically holds a hand over his heart, fake tears welling up in his eyes. "It hurt me right here – in my collarbone. Besides, you're just jealous that I can speak Spanish and you can't."

"As if!"

Jeff rolls his eyes and glances around the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nick. He finds him chatting with Lynette over the punch bowl, and he grits his teeth. Lynette catches Jeff's eye and gives him a smug smirk as she leans over to Nick, giving him a filthy kiss. It leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Jeff turns back around with a huff.

"I'm not drunk enough for this," he says as he plucks the beer out of Sebastian's hands, ignoring his friend's protests.

"Jeff, what the hell?"

"Stop your whining. I need a drink more than you do."

* * *

"_Don't let them in, don't let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel. Don't let them know. Well, now they knoooow_!" Sebastian cringes as Thad bursts into a horribly, off-key re-edition of Let It Go. "_Dejálo ir, dejálo ir, no se puede celebrar de nuevo más_!"

"_Duuude_!" Jeff crows, pawing at Sebastian's shoulder. "Is he singing in Spanish? He is! Thad's singing in Spanish – that's hilarious!" He bursts into a fit of giggles, laughing so hard that tears come to his eyes.

A muffled groan comes from where Sebastian's head is buried in his arms. "Hunter must hate me. I mean, I'm so mean to him – but it's not like I do it on purpose though! I just get so nervous around him and….God, I'm such a horrible person."

" – are you even listening to me? Thad's singing in friggin' Spanish! Do you know how awesome that is?" Jeff rambles as he continues to push Sebastian's shoulders, rocking the smaller Warbler around. "Sebastian! I just had the best idea! We should sing _in Spanish_ at Regionals!"

"_Dejálo ir, dejálo ir_!"

" – It's all her fault. What does she have that I don't?" Sebastian laments dramatically. "Damn her admittedly good looks and charming intellect and – and _the boobs_. Don't even get me started on the boobs. Is that why Hunter doesn't like me? Because I'm a guy? It's not my fault that I was born a _devastatingly attractive man_!"

"Let's not get full of ourselves now." Jeff pauses in the middle of his drunken rambling to cast a critical eye over his friend. "I wouldn't say _devastatingly_ attractive. Tolerably attractive is more like it."

Sebastian blinks slowly as he processes this newfound information, "What does that even _mean_? Are you saying that my attractiveness is only tolerable? Is _everything_ I know a lie?"

"I might even go as far to say that your attractiveness is mediocre at most," the blond continues, stroking his chin in what he thinks is a thoughtful manner. "Hey Thad! Come here!"

"_It's going down, I'm yelling timbeeeer! You better move, you better dance_." Thad sings in response, completely disregarding Jeff. "_Let's make a night you won't remembeeeer. I'll be the one you won't forget_!"

"¿_Venir aquí_?" Jeff offers, stumbling over the foreign words. His pronunciation is strained and awkward; he couldn't speak Spanish when he took the class two years ago, and he still can't now.

"Can I help you?" Thad sniffs, turning his nose up at the pair. "Couldn't you see I was in the middle of my set?"

"Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, _whoa_. Hold the phone. Lose the 'tude, bro. No one likes a diva," he holds up his hands. "I've got this totally important question to ask you."

"Which is?" Thad raises a brow, crossing his arms across his chest. "Please enlighten me with oh-so-important question, oh blond one."

"Yeah so, Sebastian here thinks he is 'devastatingly attractive.'" Jeff informs in a very matter-of-factual manner. "But he's not. Don't you agree that he's tolerably attractive?"

Sebastian squirms uncomfortably as Thad scrutinizes him, flushing slightly. He doesn't like that look the other Warbler has in his eyes; it makes him feel so damn inferior (which he's so not. Sebastian is so much better than these peasants).

"Passably attractive," the upperclassman decides almost five minutes later. "Not too hideously _feo_, but not run-of-the-mill _guapo_ either."

Sebastian blinks slowly and tries to understand; needless to say, he fails. So, naturally, he decides to articulate his frustration into words. "What….What are you saying? I don't speak Italian, you bastard!"

"Actually, that's _Spanish_ – "

"Who are you calling a bastard? But I ain't even a bastard. I ain't even a bastard, though!" Thad interrupts.

"Thad, are you quoting that redhead chick on Doctor Who?"

"Excuse me? You did not just call Catherine Tate 'that redhead chick on Doctor Who'. You better watch yourself, Sterling. That's my queen you're talking about."

"You want to go?" Jeff asks, drawing himself to his full height. He looks down menacingly – well, as menacingly as Jeff can be anyway – at the admittedly smaller Warbler, who merely looks bored.

"That depends," Thad drawls, examining his nails with disinterest, "where are we going?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" the blond bristles, his voice raising with indignation.

"'That's not what I meant, and you know it!'" he mocks with a sneer, lowering his voice in an attempt to sound like Jeff. "_Idiot_."

Sebastian watches with mild fascination as Jeff's face flushes angrily, a dark red that seems to spread from the tips of his ears to his neck.

"You – you," he struggles to find the word he's looking for, "absolute _JERK_!" Jeff launches himself at Thad, wrestling the brunet to the ground.

Now, Sebastian never – and when he says never, he means never – been one to object when two attractive guys decide to wrestle on the floor (because hello, it's hot as fuck and not to mention _free_), but death by suffocation? Definitely not sexy. Jeff's starting to look a little blue in the face, and he figures he might as well intervene.

"Hey, hey, hey, _hey_!" Sebastian tries to pull the two apart, only to get pulled into himself. He lets out a yelp of pain when an elbow collides with his gut and knocks the wind out of him. So it's only natural that he grabs the nearest handful of hair and _pulls_.

"_Nooo_!" wails Thad, clawing at Sebastian's wrist frantically. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry – _owwww_, that hurts! Let go, let go, let go, _let go_!"

"Thad!" Jeff screeches as the upperclassman accidentally hits him in the face, holding up an arm protectively. "That hurts, idiot!"

"What the hell…? Hey, break it up!" Sebastian blinks dazedly at Hunter – where did he come from? – as the younger boy separates him from Jeff and Thad. "Sebastian! Are you okay?"

Hunter looks cute when he's worried, Sebastian thinks briefly. For a second, he feels smug because Hunter's paying attention to him and not Karen. But then he catches a glimpse of Kathy hovering anxiously nearby, and the feeling leaves as fast as it came.

"I'm fine," he says curtly, brushing the junior's hand of his shoulder. "Thanks."

Sebastian misses the hurt look that crosses Hunter's face as he gets to his feet, walking over to where Jeff and Thad are nursing their wounds.

"See, Thad? I _told you_ this would happen if you drank too much, but did you listen?" David's saying as he helps Thad to his feet, his tone stern. "Now I have to clean up your mess."

"Shut up, would you?" Thad snaps irritably. "What's up with you? Ever since Wes graduated, you've been on my case. You're always complaining about cleaning up after me, but did it ever occur to you that _I didn't ask you to_? I don't need a _babysitter_, David." He lets out a huff of annoyance before he storms out of the room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

It doesn't look Jeff is any better off. He's clearly uncomfortable with Nick and his date – Lisa? – crouching at his side. They're asking him questions, none of which he bothers to reply with. Instead, he settles for staring blankly at the wall like it's the most interesting thing he's ever seen.

"Jeff? Are you okay?" Nick asks, biting his lower lip worriedly. "What's wrong? Why are you ignoring me?"

"Here, let me try." Launa touches Jeff's shoulder gently, not noticing how he tenses under her hand. "Jeff, sweetie? Are you okay? Do you want me to get the nurse?"

"Hey Jeff," Sebastian intervenes smoothly, walking over to Jeff's side. "I was just about to head back to the dorm. You want to come with?"

"Actually, I don't think that's such a good idea," Nick says with narrowed eyes. "It's your fault that he's hurt in the first place – "

" - Actually," Jeff interrupts quietly, rising to his feet, "I think that's a good idea."

"But Jeff, you were just fighting with him a minute ago…"

"It's _fine_, Nick," he forces a small smile, just barely managing to hide the hostility in his voice. "Drop it, okay? Let's go, Sebastian."

And with that, Jeff practically _drags_ Sebastian out of the gym. He doesn't release his grip on the brunet's arm until they get to their dorm, letting Sebastian go with an apologetic smile.

"Thanks for helping me out, Sebastian."

"Nick was being an asshole. Bringing Lottie with him was a low blow."

"Her name's Lynette."

"Same thing. I know you would have done the same if Hunter tried shoving Kailey down my throat."

"Kylie."

"Whatever. I'm not drunk enough for this."

"I think Thad has some leftover drinks in his room."

"Well, what are we waiting for? To Thad's room!"

* * *

Lyrics shamelessly taken from _Let It Go _by Idina Menzel and _Timber _by Ke$ha.

Catherine Tate is the lovely actress who played the equally amazing Donna Noble on Doctor Who, who I adore with all my heart.

Also, here are the translations for all of Thad's Spanish rambling:

_mis compadres: _my friends

_mi cariño_: my darling

_dejálo ir, dejálo ir, no se puede celebrar de nuevo más: _Let it go, let it go, can't hold it back anymore

_dejálo ir, dejálo ir_: let it go, let it go

_venir aquí: _come here.

_feo_: ugly

_guapo_: handsome


End file.
